Let the Adventure Begin: Summer 2013

Posted May 22, 2013 by Emily Boyd

This week has finally arrived! I leave for Rome on Thursday and I could not be more excited to get this adventure started! I look forward to sharing all my stories when I’m back from my European travels.

I’ve spent the last few weeks recovering from my first semester at GSLIS, preparing for my trip to Rome, and getting a kickstart on my summer reading list. Other than the short course I am taking in Rome (LIS 493 Intellectual Freedom and Censorship), I will have a school-work free summer and I plan to spend the extra time reading everything I can get my hands on.

I recently stumbled upon a great blog called “Beerbrarian” by a librarian in the DC area named Jacob Berg. “The Four-and-a-Half Types of People I met in Job Interviews in May” is a recent post that caught my eye about his experience interviewing candidates for a position at his library (check it out here http://beerbrarian.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-four-and-half-types-of-people-i-met.html). The post raises a lot of really interesting points about the interview process in general and job hunting as it relates to the library profession. Berg emphasizes the importance of customer service experience above relevant courses or knowledge of a specific computer system. I found this incredibly reassuring as a current library student with a resume heavy with customer service positions but very little experience in an actual library. Berg explained that he can teach an employee how to use a given computer system or specifics of a given library but he cannot teach how to interact with the public. 

Oftentimes, in our efforts to create the most impressive resume, we cut out jobs such as waitressing or working in retail. This blog reminded me how vital those experiences are and that potential employers want to see a background with customer service. I am hoping to add some volunteer work at my local library to my resume this summer while continuing my work for the National Park Service and as a waitress.

But for now, I am off to Rome, ciao!